ISB ~ Matthew 21 v33 - 41

The parable of the Wicked Tenants is an allegory—i.e., each of its details is important and symbolic (cf. Is 5:1-2). The householder is God (21:33) and the vineyard is Jerusalem (21:33). The tenants are Israel’s leaders (21:33, 45) while the servants are OT prophets persecuted for warning Israel of its sins (21:34; cf. 23:37). The son is Jesus, who will be thrown out of the vineyard and crucified outside the city (21:39; cf. Jn 19:17, 20). Because of the wickedness of the tenants, God will put them to death (21:41) when he judges Jerusalem in A.D. 70. He will entrust the New Covenant kingdom to the other tenants in the Church (16:17-19; 18:1719). See note on Mt 24:1.